Pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a noninvasive, continuous, dynamic, and radiation-free bedside imaging technique for monitoring pulmonary ventilation, is now widely utilized in the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients. Beyond ventilation monitoring, hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT for bedside pulmonary perfusion assessment has recently garnered significant attention. This article describes the application of hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT to evaluate pulmonary perfusion in two patients following pulmonary endarterectomy, providing a reference for its perioperative application in such patients.

This study aims to investigate the effect of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula on the neuroinflammation of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through the regulation of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2(TREM2)/complement protein C1q signaling pathway. Rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive drug group, as well as a high, medium, and low-dose groups of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other groups were injected with p-chlorophenylalanine and exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish the rat model of insomnia complicated with depression. The sucrose preference experiment, open field experiment, and water maze test were performed to evaluate the depression in rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the damage in nucleus accumbens neurons. Western blot and immunofluorescence were performed to detect TREM2, C1q, postsynaptic density 95(PSD-95), and synaptophysin 1(SYN1) expressions in rat nucleus accumbens, respectively. Golgi-Cox staining was utilized to observe the synaptic spine density of nucleus accumbens neurons. The results show that, compared with the model group, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can significantly increase the sucrose preference as well as the distance and number of voluntary activities, shorten the immobility time in forced swimming test and the successful incubation period of positioning navigation, and prolong the stay time of space exploration in the target quadrant test. The serum 5-HT, DA, and NE contents in the model group are significantly lower than those in the normal group, with the above contents significantly increased after the intervention of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In addition, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can alleviate pathological damages such as swelling and loose arrangement of tissue cells in the nucleus accumbens, while increasing the Nissl body numbers. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can improve synaptic damage in the nucleus accumbens and increase the synaptic spine density. Compared to the normal group, the expression of C1q protein was significantly higher in the model group, while the expression of TREM2 protein was significantly lower. Compared to the model group, the intervention with Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula significantly downregulated the expression of C1q protein and significantly upregulated the expression of TREM2. Compared with the model group, the PSD-95 and SYN1 fluorescence intensity is significantly increased in the groups receiving different doses of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In summary, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can reduce the C1q protein expression, relieve the TREM2 inhibition, and promote the synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and SNY1 expression. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula improves synaptic injury of the nucleus accumbens neurons, thereby treating insomnia complicated with depression.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Depression/complications* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/complications* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Receptors, Immunologic/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Synapses/metabolism*

The innate immune sensor NLRP3 inflammasome overactivation is involved in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. PGAM5 is a mitochondrial phosphatase involved in NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. However, the role of PGAM5 in ulcerative colitis and the mechanisms underlying PGAM5 regulating NLRP3 activity remain unknown. Here, we show that PGAM5 deficiency ameliorates dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice via suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation. By combining APEX2-based proximity labeling focused on PGAM5 with quantitative proteomics, we identify NEK7 as the new binding partner of PGAM5 to promote NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and activation in a PGAM5 phosphatase activity-independent manner upon inflammasome induction. Interfering with PGAM5-NEK7 interaction by punicalagin inhibits the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in mice. Altogether, our data demonstrate the PGAM5-NEK7 interaction in macrophages for NLRP3 inflammasome activation and further provide a promising therapeutic strategy for ulcerative colitis by blocking the PGAM5-NEK7 interaction.

The rapid screening of bioactive constituents within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) presents a significant challenge to researchers. Prevailing strategies for the screening of active components in TCM often overlook trace components owing to their concealment by more abundant constituents. To address this limitation, a fishing strategy based on offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) combined with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was utilized to screen bioactive trace components targeting peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3), using Uncaria alkaloids (UAs) as a case study. Initially, an orthogonal preparative offline 2D-LC system combining a positively charged C₁₈ column and a conventional C₁₈ column under disparate mobile phase conditions was constructed. To fully reveal the trace alkaloids, 13 2D fractions of UAs were prepared, and their components were characterized using mass spectrometry (MS). Subsequently, employing PRDX3 as the targeting protein, a SPR-based screening approach was established and rigorously validated with geissoschizine methyl ether (GSM) serving as a positive control for binding. Employing this refined strategy, 29 candidate binding alkaloids were fished from the 13 2D fractions. Notably, combining offline 2D-LC with SPR increased the yield of candidate binding components from 10 to 29 when compared to SPR-based screening alone. Subsequent binding affinity assays confirmed that PRDX3 was a direct binding target for the 12 fished alkaloids, with isovallesiachotamine (IV), corynoxeine N-oxide (CO-N), and cadambine (CAD) demonstrating the highest affinity for PRDX3. Their interactions were further validated through molecular docking analysis. Subsequent intracellular H₂O₂ measurement assays and transfection experiments confirmed that these three trace alkaloids enhanced PRDX3-mediated H₂O₂ clearance. In conclusion, this study introduced an innovative strategy for the identification of active trace components in TCM. This approach holds promise for accelerating research on medicinal components within this field.

ObjectiveTo analyze the reported cases of infectious diseases across different tiers of public medical and healthcare institutions in Minhang District, Shanghai from 2013 to 2023, to investigate the status and changes in reported infectious diseases in this district from a temporal, etiological, and demographic perspectives, so as to provide a scientific basis for the construction of a hierarchica early-warning surveillance system under the grading diagnosis and treatment model in medical institutions, as well as for optimizing sentinel surveillance at facilities of different levels. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed using surveillance data from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System in Minhang District from 2013 to 2023. Reported infectious diseases were categorized into three categories based on transmission routes: respiratory infectious diseases, intestinal infectious diseases, and sexually transmitted and blood borne infectious diseases. According to the implementation phase of the grading diagnosis and treatment policy, the research time was divided into four time periods: 2013‒2016, 2017‒2019, 2020‒2022, and 2023. The distribution and temporal changes of reported cases of infectious diseases were compared across community health service centers (CHCs), secondary hospitals, tertiary grade-A hospitals and tertiary grade-B hospitals. Chi-square test was used for univariate analysis of differences in the number of reported cases. Quantitative data with normal distribution were analyzed using parametric tests, otherwise, Kruskal⁃Wallis H tests were used. ResultsThe proportions of total reported cases of infectious diseases in medical institutions at all levels in Minhang District, Shanghai from 2013 to 2023 were 10.66% in CHCs, 9.10% in secondary hospitals, 64.95% in tertiary grade-B hospitals, and 15.29% in tertiary grade-A hospitals, with an overall decline and then rebound trend in the reported cases. After the implementation of grading diagnosis and treatment policy, the number of reported cases in CHCs and secondary hospitals showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, while that in tertiary grade-B hospitals showed a steady decreasing trend and that in tertiary grade-A hospitals showed an increasing trend. In terms of the research periods divided above, a total of 10 392 cases were reported in 2013‒2016 (70.34% from tertiary grade-B hospitals and 12.59% from CHCs), including 2 922 cases of respiratory infectious diseases, 1 241 cases of intestinal infectious diseases, and 6 229 cases of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infectious diseases. Between 2017 and 2019, a total of 6 967 cases were reported (73.49% from tertiary grade-B hospitals and 11.84% from tertiary grade-A hospitals), including 2 983 cases of respiratory infectious diseases, 279 cases of intestinal infectious diseases, and 3 705 cases of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infectious diseases. Between 2020 and 2022, a total of 4 599 cases were reported (69.92% from tertiary grade-B hospitals and 24.57% from tertiary grade-A hospitals), including 1 627 cases of respiratory infectious diseases, 123 cases of intestinal infectious diseases, and 2 849 cases of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infectious diseases. In 2023, a total of 4 648 cases were reported (35.20% from tertiary grade-B hospitals and 27.50% from tertiary grade-A hospitals), including 3 165 cases of respiratory infectious diseases, 69 cases of intestinal infectious diseases, and 1 414 cases of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infectious diseases. The proportion of reported cases from tertiary grade-B hospitals was the highest in all the four research periods, but exhibited an obvious decrease in 2023. The differences in the reported cases of infectious diseases with different transmission routes among medical institutions at all levels were statistically significant (χ²=3 225.628, P<0.05). The differences in the mean age of patients among medical institutions at all levels were statistically significant (H=1 325.927, P<0.05). ConclusionThere are significant differences in the number of reported cases of infectious disease in the medical institutions at different levels. Tertiary grade-B hospitals have historically dominated the number of reported cases, but its share has declined recently. Whereas, CHCs and tertiary grade-A hospitals have played an increasingly important role in the surveillance and early warning of respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to leverage the strengths of grading diagnosis and treatment to establish targeted sentinel sites and deploy specialized teams tailored to the epidemiological characteristics of specific disease categories.

The life view of physique-qi-spirit trinity is the core theory for explaining the physiological activities of human body and the evolution of disease pathology in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),and will bring about an overview of TCM tumorigenesis.This paper explores the biological basis of tumor from the perspective of disorders of physique,qi and spirit:there is a correlation between qi-physique transformation and energy and substance metabolism,and between spirit-emotion and neuromodulation;the nerve-metabolism pathway contributes to partial biological basis of tumor from the perspective of disorders of physique,qi and spirit.Furthermore,it puts forward the strategies for prevention and treatment with TCM through the simultaneous regulation of physique,qi and spirit:eliminating the mass to inhibit the tumor,and improving physique to preserve life in the view of treating physique;replenishing qi to strengthen the body,and ventilating qi to remove toxins in the view of treating qi;regulating the spirit to treat cancer through comprehensive therapy in the view of treating spirit.The exploration on the biological basis of tumor from the perspective of disorders of physique,qi and spirit will further embody the unique advantages of TCM theories in understanding malignant tumors,and will provide useful references for the model of synergistic prevention and treatment of malignant tumors with TCM.

Objective To investigate the effect of PIAS3 on glucose fluctuation-induced oxidative stress and mito-chondrial dysfunction in rat cardiomyocytes.Methods H9c2 were cultured in vitro,and divided into normal glucose control group(Control),mannitol-induced osmotic pressure control group(MG),constant high glucose group(HG),intermittent hyperglycemia group(IHG),IHG+siRNA NC group,and IHG+PIAS3 siRNA group.Cell proliferation was assessed using CCK-8 assay.LDH release,MDA and GSH levels,as well as SOD activity,were detected using corresponding kits.Mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated via JC-1 staining combined with flow cytometry.ROS levels in cells and mitochondria were determined using DCFH-DA and MitoSOX staining,re-spectively.Protein expression of PI3K,p-PI3K,AKT,and p-AKT was analyzed by Western blot.Results Com-pared with the control group,intermittent hyperglycemia promoted oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction,significantly upregulated PIAS3 expression(P＜0.001)and downregulated p-PI3K and p-AKT protein levels(P＜0.001).Knockdown of PIAS3 significantly alleviated oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by glucose fluctuations,and increased p-PI3K and p-AKT protein levels(P＜0.001).Conclusions Knockdown of PIAS3 may alleviate glucose fluctuation-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in ratcardiomyocytes by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of unilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)combined with 3D printing technology for the treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fracture.Methods A total of 77 patients with thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures from October 2020 to April 2022 were included in the study,all of which were vertebral body compression fractures caused by trauma.According to different treatment methods,they were di-vided into experimental group and control group.Thirty-two patients used 3D printing technology to improve unilateral transpedicle puncture vertebroplasty in the experimental group,there were 5 males and 27 females,aged from 63 to 91 years old with an average of(77.59±8.75)years old.Forty-five patients were treated with traditional bilateral pedicle puncture vertebroplasty,including 7 males and 38 females,aged from 60 to 88 years old with an average of(74.89±7.37)years old.Operation time,intraoperative C-arm X-ray times,anesthetic dosage,bone cement injection amount,bone cement diffusion good and good rate,complications,vertebral height,kyphotic angle(Cobb angle),visual analogue scale(VAS),Oswestry disability index(ODI)and other indicators were recorded before and after surgery,and statistically analyzed.Results All patients were followed up for 6 to 23 months,with preoperative imaging studies,confirmed for thoracolumbar osteoporosis com-pression fractures,two groups of patients with postoperative complications,no special two groups of patients'age,gender,body mass index(BMI),time were injured,the injured vertebral distribution had no statistical difference(P＞0.05),comparable data.Two groups of patients with bone cement injection,bone cement dispersion rate,preoperative and postoperative vertebral body height,protruding after spine angle(Cobb angle),VAS,ODI had no statistical difference(P＞0.05).The operative time,intra-operative fluoroscopy times and anesthetic dosage were statistically different between the two groups(P＜0.05).Compared with the traditional bilateral puncture group,the modified unilateral puncture group combined with 3D printing technology had shorter operation time,fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy times and less anesthetic dosage.The height of anterior vertebral edge,kyphosis angle(Cobb angle),VAS score and ODI of the affected vertebrae were statistically different between two groups at each time point after surgery(P＜0.05).Conclusion In the treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures,3D printing technology is used to improve unilateral puncture PVP,which is convenient and simple,less trauma,short operation time,fewer fluoroscopy times,satisfactory distribution of bone cement,vertebral height recovery and kyphotic Angle correction,and good functional improvement.

Objective:To investigate the gait characteristics of patients with early Parkinson′s disease (PD) under cognitive dual task, and to provide sensitive kinematic indicators for the early diagnosis, timely treatment and reasonable rehabilitation of PD.Methods:A total of 62 outpatients and inpatients with early non-tremor Parkinson′s disease in Shijingshan Branch of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from September 2021 to August 2023 were selected as experimental group (PD group), and 62 healthy controls with comparable age composition ratio were selected as control group. The baseline data, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale scores, and the gait assessment scores of the motor part of the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale were compared between the 2 groups. The wearable gait analysis device was used to collect the gait parameters of the 2 groups of subjects under single task and dual task, and the foot kinematic characteristics of the patients with early PD were quantified. Independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the gait parameters of the 2 groups. The statistically significant variables were included in Logistic regression analysis to explore the association between gait parameters and PD. Finally, the diagnostic value of the variables was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results:Gait spatio-temporal parameters (per gait cycle): (1) The gait speed of the PD group was slower than that of the control group [(1.01±0.12) m/s vs (1.22±0.18) m/s, t=-7.526] during single task walking. The bipedal support time in the PD group was significantly longer than that in the control group [(0.29±0.05) s vs (0.22±0.06) s, t=6.659]. The differences were both statistically significant (both P<0.001). (2) During dual-task walking, PD patients showed slower gait speed [(0.88±0.11) m/s vs (1.19±0.16) m/s, t=-12.158, P<0.001]. The bipedal support time in the PD group was longer than that in the control group [(0.36±0.05) s vs (0.22±0.05) s, t=12.828, P<0.001]. PD patients had shorter stride length [(109.20±6.21) cm vs (112.77±5.87) cm, t=-3.203, P=0.010]. Stride frequency in the PD group was higher than that in the control group [(114.45±7.10) steps/min vs (110.87±7.16) steps/min, t=2.724, P=0.020]. The single leg support time was longer than that of the control group [(0.49±0.12) s vs (0.45±0.06) s, t=2.643, P=0.020] , and the differences were statistically significant. Gait kinematics parameters: (1) During single task walking, the maximum angle of foot movement in the sagittal plane in the PD group was smaller than that in the control group (17.19°±2.37° vs 19.71°±2.92°, t=-4.691, P<0.001). The minimum angle of movement in the sagittal plane was smaller than that in the control group (-67.08°±4.63° vs -70.10°±3.94°, t=0.395, P=0.001). The minimum horizontal angle of the foot during exercise in the PD group was lower than that in the control group (9.08°±4.02° vs 11.80°±3.60°, t=-3.461, P<0.001). The minimum angle of the foot coronal plane in the PD group was smaller than that in the control group (-10.55°±2.87° vs -12.04°±2.31°, t=2.831, P=0.030; the negative sign only represents the movement direction). The touch angle of the foot in the PD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (11.14°±2.78° vs 12.78°±3.57°, t=-2.779, P=0.030). (2) During dual-task walking, the maximum sagittal angle (15.44°±2.54° vs 18.99°±2.71°, t=-6.673, P<0.05), the minimum angle of sagittal plane (-65.68°±4.73° vs -70.02°±4.04°, t=-4.747, P<0.001; the negative sign only represents the direction of movement), the minimum coronal movement angle (-11.15°± 2.99° vs -13.18°±2.50°, t=3.642, P=0.020), the touch angle (11.01°±3.10° vs 12.83°±4.01°, t=-2.438, P=0.010), the minimum horizontal angle (8.83°±4.04° vs 11.83°±3.63°, t=-3.776, P<0.001), and the change of the angle from the ground (-65.00°±3.54° vs -67.06°±3.61°, t=3.133, P<0.001) in the PD group were all smaller than that in the control group. The differences were all statistically significant. Logistic regression analysis showed that step frequency was positively correlated with PD ( OR=1.124,95% CI 1.040-1.201, P=0.001), minimum angle of coronal plane was positively correlated with PD ( OR=1.501, 95% CI 1.040-2.151, P=0.030). Stride length was negatively correlated with PD ( OR=0.902, 95% CI 0.830-0.978, P=0.010). ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of step frequency, stride length and minimum angle of coronal plane. For step frequency, when the maximum Youden index was 0.880, the best cut-off value to distinguish the PD group from the control group was 115.000, the sensitivity was 0.577, the specificity was 0.710, and the area under the curve was 0.656. For the minimum coronal angle, when the maximum Youden index was 0.251, the best cut-off value was -12.575, the sensitivity was 0.728, the specificity was 0.531, and the area under the curve was 0.670. For stride length, when the maximum Youden index was 0, the best cut-off value was 100.91, the sensitivity was 0.950, the specificity was 0.050, and the area under the curve was 0.300. Conclusions:Some gait parameters such as step frequency and minimum angle of coronal plane can be used as kinematic markers to reflect the gait characteristics of early PD, which may be helpful in tracking and evaluating the gait disorder characteristics of early PD patients and predicting the risk of PD. Some gait parameters of PD patients are significantly different from those of healthy people during cognitive-motor dual-task walking.